-LRB- Careerbuilder.com -RRB- -- To most Americans , David Beckham is a soccer superstar . But to the rest of the world , he 's pretty much an average professional footballer -- at least in terms of salary .

Beckham 's nearly $ 6.5 million annual contract does n't even crack the list of the top 20 highest-paid soccer stars , and barely puts him onto the list of the top 50 earners in the sport .

Soccer versus American football salaries

Although top athletes in neither sport are lacking in terms of base pay , the salaries of NFL players surpass those of professional soccer players .

For the NFL 's 2009-2010 season , average salary for the top five highest-paid players -LRB- not including endorsement deals -RRB- was $ 20.32 million . For the top five footballers , salaries averaged $ 14.67 million .

In honor of the World Cup , here 's a look at the paychecks that go with being a star of the world 's favorite sport .

The top 5

1 . Coming in at No. 1 is 25-year-old Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo , who earns $ 17.06 million * per year as a forward for Spanish football club Real Madrid . Ronaldo , who also captains the Portuguese national team , is the most expensive soccer player in history . Real Madrid bought him from English club Manchester United in 2009 for a cool $ 132 million .

2 . Sweden 's Zlatan Ibrahimovic comes in at No. 2 , earning a reported $ 15.7 million for the 2009-2010 season . The 29-year-old striker plays for Barcelona and the Swedish national team . Until Ronaldo 's Real Madrid deal was inked in 2009 , Ibrahimovic was soccer 's highest-paid player .

3 . At 22 , Lionel Messi is the youngest player to make the top 20 list of highest-paid soccer stars . Messi 's 2009-2010 contract is worth $ 13.74 million . Messi , a striker for Spanish champions Barcelona , will represent his home country , Argentina , at this year 's World Cup .

4 . Samuel Eto'o is the captain of Cameroon 's national team and a member of Italy 's Inter Milan club , the European champions . The striker was part of the team that won the 2000 Summer Olympics and will participate in his third World Cup tournament this year . His experience has paid off ; his current contract is worth $ 13.74 million .

5 . Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , more commonly known as Kaka to fans , rounds out the top five . Kaka , 27 , hails from Brazil and will make $ 13.13 million as a midfielder for Real Madrid this year . Before teammate Ronaldo 's Real Madrid deal , Kaka also spent time at the top of the highest-paid players list .

The rest of the top 20

6 . Karim Benzema Country : France Club Team : Real Madrid Age : 22 Salary : $ 11.17 million

7 . Carlos Tevez Country : Argentina Club Team : Manchester City Age : 26 Salary : $ 10.57 million

8 . John Terry Country : England Club Team : Chelsea Age : 29 Salary : $ 9.81 million

9 . Frank Lampard Country : England Club Team : Chelsea Age : 31 Salary : $ 9.81 million

10 . Thierry Henry Country : France Club Team : Barcelona Age : 32 Salary : $ 9.81 million

11 . Xavi Country : Spain Club Team : Barcelona Age : 30 Salary : $ 9.81 million

12 . Ronaldinho Country : Brazil Club Team : AC Milan Age : 30 Salary : $ 9.81 million

13 . Steven Gerrard Country : England Club Team : Liverpool Age : 29 Salary : $ 9.81 million

14 . Daniel Alves Country : Brazil Club Team : Barcelona Age : 26 Salary : $ 9.21 million

15 . Michael Ballack Country : Germany Club Team : Chelsea Age : 33 Salary : $ 8.45 million

16 . Raul Country : Spain Club Team : Real Madrid Age : 32 Salary : $ 8.45 million

17 . Rio Ferdinand Country : England Club Team : Manchester United Age : 31 Salary : $ 8.45 million

18 . Kolo Toure Country : Ivory Coast Club Team : Manchester City Age : 29 Salary : $ 8.45 million

19 . Wayne Rooney Country : England Club Team : Manchester United Age : 24 Salary : $ 7.85 million

20 . Robinho Country : Brazil Club Team : Manchester City Age : 26 Salary : $ 7.85 million

* Soccer player salary information provided by Portuguese marketing agency Futebol Finance

& copy CareerBuilder.com 2011 . All rights reserved . The information contained in this article may not be published , broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority .

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For the top five soccer players in the world , salaries averaged $ 14.67 million

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Real Madrid 's star forward Cristiano Ronaldo earns $ 17.06 million a year

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Lionel Messi , 22 , is the youngest among the highest-paid soccer stars with $ 13.74 million

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Olympic medal winner Samuel Eto'o has a contract worth $ 13.74 million